There was little battle here since the Gorkha force was
so superior but the fact that the British Officers had
remained to try to hold their ground and had not fled
greatly impressed the Gorkhas. They asked Young and
his subordinates why they had not also ran away and
according to legend Young replied, "I have not come so
far to run away. I came to stay." And stay he did. For
about a year the Gorkhas held Young captive but during
this year the Gorkhas developed a sincere and deep
respect for Young and the British fighting spirit which
much resembled their own. And, indeed, it was Young
himself who was able to recruit the first Gorkhas to serve
under the British flag -- 3,000 Gorkhas divided into four
battalions. Young went on to serve as the commander of
the Sirmoor Battalion of Gurkhas for 28 years and,
amazingly, was able to report his battalion service ready
after only six months.
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